Mail-chute.



A. K. SMITH & E. A. KUMMING.

MAIL CHUTE.

APPLIUATION FILED MAB. 12, 1910.

Patented Sept. 3, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTI-IURK. SMITH AND EMIL A. KUMMING, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS T0 CUTLER MAIL CHUTE COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEV YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MAIL-CHUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 12, 1910. Serial No. 548,896.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, ARTHUR K. SMITH and EMIL A.. KUMMING, both citizens of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Chutes, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the portion of our improved mail chute which contains the inail-receiving aperture. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 8 3 of Fig. 1.

Our invention relates generally to mail chutes and more particularly to the means employed for closing the opening or aperture through which the mail matter is dropped. i

The particular object of our invention is to provide simple means whereby the mailreceiving aperture or chute opening may be readily closed during the time the chute is temporarily out of service, due to necessary repairs, or during the time the chute is being cleared of clogged mail matter.

To the above purposes our invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the glass panels forming the front wall of the chute; 2 the molding strips which engage the side edges of said panels and 3 the side walls of the chute, which are also engaged by the molding strips.

4 designates a plate, preferably of metal, which is interposed between the ends of an adjacent pair of glass panels l. The upper and lower edges of this plate are provided with lips 5, which overlie the corresponding edges of the panels 1. Formed in this plate 4L is a rectangular opening the width of which is the same as t-he distance between the inner edges of the molding strips 2. Formed integral with this plate t at the top of the opening is a pair of outwardly projecting segmentally curved arms 6 the outer ends of which are united by a transversely disposed locking bar 7.

8 designates a movable plate which forms a closure for the opening in the plate Ll, and the lower end of this plate 8 is provided with an inverted U-shaped bearing 9 which rests upon a corresponding rib 10, formed on the plate t at the said plate. Formed integral with the side edges of the plate 8 are inwardly projecting side walls 1l the outer faces of which fit snugly against the edges of the platet at the sides of the opening therein. Formed on or fixed to the top of the plate 8 and projecting rearwardly therefrom is a curved plate 12, which occupies a position immediately above the transverse locking bar 7 and the forward portions of the arm 6. This curved plate 12 preferably is formed with a slot or opening l2 adjacentits rear edge which forms the mail receiving slot or opening of the chute so that when the plate 8 is swung to its outermost limit of movement the slot is exposed on the outside of the chute, whereas when the plate 8 is swung to its innermost position the slot is not so exposed but is covered by the walls of the chute. If desired, however,

the plate 12 may be discontinued so as not tok extend to the rear edge of the side walls 11, whereby in the outer position of the plate 8 a slot is formed between the end of the plate 12 and the front 'wall 4; of the chute, which opening is exposed in the outer position of the plate 8, but not exposed and closed in the inner position of the plate 8. Either of these constructions may be used in connection with my device.

Formed on or fixed to the rear upper corners of the side walls 1l is a transversely disposed bar 18, which when the plate 8 is swung to its outer limit of movement bears directly against the rear face of the plate t just above the openingtherein; thus said bar 13'forms a stop to limit the outward movement of the plate 8 and parts carried thereby.

1st designates a lock housing which is fixed on the inner face of the plate 8 adjacent the upper end thereof and the locking bolt 15 which operates in said housing is adapted to engage against the outer edge of the locking bar 7 when 'the plate 8 and its carried parts are swung to either outer limit of movement as shown by solid lines in Fig. 2 and when said plate and carried parts are swung to their rearward limit of movement, the locking bolt l5 occupies a. position im- Iatented Sept. 3, 1912.

bottom of the opening in` mediately to the rear of the locking bar 7 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Vhen the plate S is swung to its rearward limit of movement the rear edge of the curved plate 12 bears against the edge of the plate 4L immediately above the openingV like, and it frequently happens that tiles@ chutes become clogged with mail matter and for this reason and for the purposes of re air, it is necessary to temporarily close all oi' the mail-receiving apertures* ,Where our improved construction is used the' closing of all of the mail-receiving apertures can easily and quickly be accomplished by an authorized person, for instance, a post-oiiice employee or the manager or proprietor of the building in which the chute is located, it only being necessary to unlock the plate 8 from its open position as shown by solid lines in Fig. 2 and move said plate rearward to' a closed position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. j

AnV aperture closure of our improved construction is very simple, comprising a minimum number of parts, is positively locked in both open and closed positions and can be readily applied to the types of mail chutes new in general use.

We claim:

1. A receptacle having a front wall having an opening therein, a closure pivoted to one edge of said opening having front and topl pla-tes, arms projecting from the front wall of the receptacle, a cross bar thereon, and means on the front plate of the closure for engaging the bar to ret-ain the closure in open position.

2. A receptacle having a front Wall havlocking bar mounted ing an opening therein, a. closure pivoted to one edge of said opening having front and top plates, arms projecting from the front wall of the receptacle, a cross bar thereon,

' and means on the front plate of the closure for engaging the bar to retain the closure in open and closed position.

3. A receptacle having a front Wall with an opening therein, a closure pivoted to one edge ot said opening having a front and top plate, arms projecting from the front wall ot' the receptacle, a cross bar thereon, a lock ing bar mounted on the front plate of the closure adapted to engage on either side of the cross bar.

4f. A receptacle having a. front wall with an opening therein, a closure pivoted to one edge of said opening having a front and to-p plate, a. plate projecting from the end of the topy plate adapted to engage the front wall of the receptacle when the closure is in open posit-ion, yarms projecting from the front wall of the receptacle, a cross bar thereon, a on the front plate of the closure adapted to engage on either side of the cross bar.

5. A receptacle having a front wall with an opening therein a closure pivoted to one edge of said opening having a front and top plate,arms projecting from the trontwall of the receptacle, a cross bar thereon, and a key operated locking bar mounted on the frontplate of the closure, adapted to engage on either side of the cross bar.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto affix our signatures in the presence of two wit-- nesses, this first day of March 1910.

ARTHUR K. SMITH. EMIL A. KUMMNG.

Witnesses:

J. T. MosLANK, THOMAS LANGFORD.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

